1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fire resistant containment systems; and, more particularly, to fire resistant containment system comprising a lightweight portable box enclosure that can be easily moved from place to place for preserving memory objects such as photographs, documents and the like in case of a fire event.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many patents address issues related to fire resistant containment systems. The patents and patent publications that disclose fireproof containment are discussed below. These containment systems are generally heavy and cannot be easily transported from place to place. Individual memory objects have to be first removed from the heavy containment system. Also the fireproof containment systems need to meet Underwriter Laboratories test specification UL72, section 5 which details a fire endurance test in three classes, class 350, class 150 and class 125. A class 350 containment system limits the temperature of contents of the system to 350° F. when exposed to a fire of 1550° F. for 30 minutes. There is no humidity requirement for these containment systems since 350° F. is well above the boiling point of water which is 212° F. any water that is present in the containment will be evaporated and flood the interior of the system. A class 150 containment system limits the contents of the system to a temperature of 150° F. with a humidity of no more than 85% when exposed to a fire of 1550° F. for 30 minutes. A class 125 containment system limits the contents of the system to a temperature of 125° F. with a humidity of no more than 80% when exposed to a fire of 1550° F. for 30 minutes. A class 125 containment system protects films, photographs, magnetic media and provides the most stringent requirement for a fireproof box. Most of the prior art fireproof systems of the prior art do not meet the class 125 requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,623 to Preston et al. discloses an insulated filing cabinet construction. The file cabinet is made from steel casing that forms a plurality of rectangular boxes. Each wall of the casing contains insulating material. Inherently, the insulated filing cabinet disclosed by the '623 patent is a heavy weight device, as shown by the requirement of casting wheels at the bottom. The insulating material is not indicated to withstand high temperature exposure. This heavy weight cabinet does not contain a lightweight portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,966 to Gartner discloses a fireproof container. This fireproof container has an inner container surrounded by an outer container. A heat protection liner made from fibrous material having high temperature insulation properties is provided between the outer frame and the inner container. A jamb having an irregular undersurface portion with fibrous material is positioned in mating relationship with the jamb, providing a torturous heat flow closure path. The fireproof container has an outer shell of cold rolled steel, an inner container of molded plastic, and two layers of fibrous high temperature resistant fibers, followed by heat insulative fibers. Such a fireproof container, as disclosed by the '966 patent, is a heavy object. It is not made entirely from high temperature resisting fibers that have a high level of porosity, providing insulation properties and does not have a removable lightweight portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,741 to Semon discloses a closure for a fire resistant structure. This container is protective against a high temperature of restricted duration. The cast container with plaster of Paris is destroyed by high temperature exposure, while the magnesium sulfate hydrate degrades in steps, leaving behind a fire resistant composition. This fire resistant structure has a facing of low melting glass cloth with epoxy bond. Gypsum partially decomposes only between 212° F. and 312° F. and heat is absorbed during the decomposition reaction and this temperature is too high to keep the interior of the fire resistant structure at or below 125° F. The magnesium sulfate hydrate component decomposes at a lower temperature, but the tests were conducted at much higher temperatures of 2522° F. (1400° C.) and 1166° F. (630° C.), and the fire resistant structure is indicated to survive the high temperature exposure. But there is no measurement of temperature within the fire resistant structure and the tests performed were not according to Underwriters Laboratories specification UL72. Such a fire resistant structure is heavy due to gypsum content. It is not made from fibrous material and does not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,169 to Gauger et al. discloses a fireproof container. This container is designed to protect valuable items such as papers from exposure to fire or intense heat. The container comprises an outer frame, an inner container, and a closure means or a lid. Between the outer frame and inner container, and within the lid, there are heat protection means, each comprising an outer portion of a heat resistant material such as ceramic fiber and an inner portion of an absorbent material such as glass paper which is soaked in water and encased in a water-impermeable jacket made of, for example, polyethylene, which ruptures upon exposure to elevated temperatures. Typically, vents permit steam which is generated in the presence of intense heat in the inner portions of the heat protection means to pass into the interior of the container to further slow any rise in temperature therein by absorbing heat, and the vents also permit steam to slowly pass out of the container through the channel defined between the closure means and the container itself, thereby inhibiting the inward flow of heat through this channel. In a preferred embodiment, a water-soaked, elongated, fibrous, absorbent material, encased in an elongated water-impermeable jacket, is disposed between the outer frame and inner container at a location subject to high heat transfer rates, such as along the jamb between the outer frame and the inner container. During fire exposure the water contained in the absorbent material or fibrous absorbent material boils at 212° F. releasing a large amount of steam. In spite of the vents provided some amount of steam would be directed into the contained area soaking all of the contents with water. Moreover, 212° F. is much greater than the target requirement of 125° F. or 150° F.; and this water boiling temperature is sufficient to damage magnetic medium and photographs. The fireproof container is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,926 to Brush, Jr. et al. discloses a safe. The safe has a non-metallic outer shell, an inner shell with molded insulation material therebetween. The molded material is indicated to have a substantial amount of chemically bonded water similar to foamed Portland cement. During fire exposure the chemically bonded water dissociates losing the properties of the Portland cement releasing a large amount of steam and this decomposition occurs at a temperature much greater than 125° F. The safe is not made from ceramic fibrous material bonded with water free inorganic bond. The safe is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,365 to Burgess et al. discloses a fire-resistant safe and panel. This safe has a heat absorbing body made from a mixture of water, Portland cement, cellulose fibers, and a foaming agent, with or without other ingredients such as water glass and sodium sulfate. Polypropylene fibers may be used in place of part or all of the cellulose fibers. The safe has a plastic outer shell and an inner shell made from plastic or steel. The space between the inner and outer shell is filled with foamed cement composition that has recycled cellulose fibers. Sodium silicate may be added to the cement mixture. The composition resists fire by breaking down water of hydration releasing a large amount of steam as the Portland cement composite crumbles by heat at a temperature much greater than 125° F. Cement is heavy and consequently the safe is not portable. The safe does not use lightweight fire resistant ceramic fibers bonded with water free inorganic bond. The safe is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,137 to Rothhaas discloses a fire resistant cabinet with a protective void in gypsum filling. A heat resistant cabinet has a gypsum filling provided in the interspace between the outer casing and the inner surface. This filing cabinet has a metal sheet outer surface with gypsum filling. The gypsum filling has a hollow space provided for subsequent use as an air gap space or filling by plastic foam. Gypsum decomposes when exposed to heat by loss of water of hydration, releasing a large amount of steam essentially crumbling the gypsum layer. Gypsum partially decomposes between 212° F. and 312° F. and heat is absorbed during the decomposition reaction. Moreover a temperature between 212° F. and 312° F. is too high to keep the interior of the fire resistant structure at or below 125° F. The gypsum sheet is indicated to crack especially around the free space area. This is a heavy cabinet and not a portable device. The safe does not use fire resistant ceramic fibers bonded with water free inorganic bond. The fire resistant cabinet is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,543 to Schulthess discloses a door. This door is primarily intended for applications that require a fire resistant door. The door has a metal frame with a foamable strip present in the rebate of the door. The strip foams when heated by a fire, sealing the door. The '543 disclosure does not provide a flameproof box for containment of photographs and documents. The door is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,454 to Dyson discloses a method of constructing fire resistant enclosures. In this method a body of a cabinet for storing temperature-sensitive articles such as magnetic discs and tapes is built by a process which involves the successive steps of fabricating an internal skin; (ii) attaching “phase-change” material to the skin; (iii) applying insulative polyurethane foam in-situ to the structure of step (ii); (iv) casting concrete or the like water-bearing material around the structure of step (iii); and (v) completing the outer finishing skin. The door for the cabinet can be built by a similar sequence in which “phase-change” material, insulative form and water-bearing layers are applied successively to a pan forming the internal face of the door. The fire resistant enclosure is heavy due to the use of cement and does not use lightweight ceramic fibers bonded with a water free inorganic bond. The fire resistant enclosure is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,227 to Hughes et al. discloses a fire-resistant container. This fire-resistant container is said to protect magnetic media such as floppy discs, and comprises a base and a cover. The fire resistant metal container has outer casing and inner container and the space between filled with microporous compacted material made from finely divided silica, opacifiers and aluminosilicate reinforcement fibers. The inner container is filled with wax having a melting point of 122° F. (50° C.). The fire-resistant container is not a lightweight fire resistant container and it is not made from fireproof ceramic fibers bonded with water free inorganic bond. The fire resistant cabinet is not indicated to have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,155 to Johnson discloses a fire resistant enclosure. The casing and door for this enclosure is made from resinous material such as epoxy polyimide or polyvinyl chloride that chars readily. The resin may be reinforced with mineral fiber in the form of glass wool, and protected with heat reflecting aluminum sheet. The enclosure is a multi-component heavy device. It does not rely on lightweight fire resistance of a ceramic fiber insulation bonded with water free inorganic bond and does not rely on the porosity of the ceramic fiber matrix to resist heat flow. The fire resistant enclosure does not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,276 to Pollock discloses a fire resistant cabinet. This fire resistant cabinet is for maintaining its contents below a predetermined temperature and comprises an inner container partly of double-walled construction, a material located within the walls of the inner container and which undergoes a phase change requiring latent heat below the predetermined temperature. The outer casing is provided surrounding and spaced apart from the inner container. A thermal insulation layer is provided between the outer casing and the inner container comprising a plurality of spaced apart, low thermal emissivity, heat shields each being parallel to the adjacent wall of the outer casing. At least six bridge members connect the inner container and the outer casing, each bridge member being of zig-zag shape and defining a plurality of slots extending generally parallel to the crests of the zig-zag, the bridge members supporting the inner container relative to the outer casing even if the cabinet is subjected to an impact. The fire resistant cabinet disclosed by the '276 patent uses hydrated sodium meta silicate which melts and disassociates at 48° C. or 118° F. The cabinet has metallic zig zag heat shields and does not have lightweight fibrous ceramic insulation that is inorganically bonded. The microporous insulation of silica aerogel is not a fibrous insulation; but is instead a dust without mechanical integrity sufficient to support the container. The fire resistant cabinet does not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,231 to Preston et al. discloses a fire-resistant safe. This fire resistant safe is made from resin sheets that form the interior enclosure and exterior enclosure with insulation provided there between. As the resin catches fire, it produces vertical channels for the passage of air, promoting vigorous combustion. Vertical air flow is prevented (i) by use of corner jambs that are made thin, thereby producing a narrow air flow, restricted pathway, or (ii) by use of compressively loaded resin sheets. The fire resistant safe does not use insulation of lightweight ceramic fibers bonded with a water free inorganic bond. The fire resistant safe does not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,889 to Shaffer et al. discloses a steel shell safe with a snap-in resin liner. This safe has an outer steel shell with a resin liner inserted there within. An insulation material is provided between the steel shell and the resin liner. The steel shell safe with snap in liner is heavy and is not a lightweight product. It does not use insulation of lightweight fire resistant ceramic fibers bonded with a water free inorganic bond. The steel shell safe does not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,481 to Lyons et al. discloses an open-ended molded fireplace box and method. Disclosed therein is a molded ceramic fiber insert that is directly cast into a heavy steel component, which is designed to be inserted into a fireplace. Such a fireplace insert is not a portable lightweight system that uses porously bonded fire resistant ceramic fibers with a water free inorganic bond; it is not designed to protect photographs and documents. The fire place box does not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,841,209 and 7,459,190 to Legare disclose fire protection containers incorporating novel low free-water insulation materials. The fire protection containers house water-bearing silicate materials. This is achieved by modifying the basic method of essentially reacting water glass with calcium chloride to bind the free water into solid form without adversely affecting the basic chemical and physical structure of the original product. The material is then dried by using a physical wicking agent, such as a cellulose sponge, adding an anhydrous salt to the material to form a crystalline hydrate, or adding calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide to the material to form a microstructure that physically retains the water. The material is then incorporated into a fire protection container in which the material forms the outermost wall of the container, a light-weight porous material such as urethane forms an intermediate layer, and a phase change material with a melting point of around 70° F. to 125° F. forms the innermost wall. The modified water bearing silicate material, when solidified, is heavy and does not use lightweight fire resistant ceramic fibers bonded with a water free inorganic bond. The fire protection containers do not have a removable portable enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,092 to Beattie et al. discloses a fire and water-resistant container. The bottom and top shells are made from metal or resin and the space there between is filled with a fire proof insulator composed of hydrated Portland cement. The container is therefore heavy due to the cement insulation. The hydrated Portland cement will disintegrate due to loss of water of hydration when exposed to fire. The shell, hinge and gasket may also be destroyed by fire as indicated in the '092 patent. The fire and water-resistant container does not use lightweight fire resistant ceramic fibers bonded with a water free inorganic bond. The fire and water-resistant container does not have a removable portable enclosure.
Foreign Patent Application No. JP 08270323 to Hineno discloses a fireproof safe. A box has an outer case that contains an inner case. The space between the two cases is filled with burnt ash of activated carbon, which is a very porous carbon material. The burnt activated carbon ash is no longer a fiber and therefore, it is not a lightweight fire resistant ceramic fiber bonded with a water free inorganic bond. The type of material used for the outer case and the inner case is not indicated. The fireproof safe does not have a removable portable enclosure.
There remains a need in the art for a lightweight fire resistant containment system that has a lightweight portable box enclosure which is easy to carry. Also needed in the art is a lightweight fire resistant containment system that saves valuable documents, photographs and magnetic and electronic media in a in an unaffected condition even when exposed to a fire temperature of 1550° F. for up to 30 minutes. Further needed in the art is a lightweight fire resistant containment system wherein the contents of a lightweight portable box enclosure are not exposed to temperatures greater than 125° F. when the containment system is subjected to a fire temperature of 1550° F. for up to 30 minutes